What if? (A Collection of Kirisuna AUs)
by Harvzy
Summary: What if Kirito and Asuna were childhood best friends? What if they took the places of Romeo and Juliet? Read as Kirito and Asuna get together in different ways in this collection of one-shot AUs. Kirisuna fluff, rated T for mature references and mild cursing in the future.
1. All Along

**A/N: Welcome! This is going to be very different than the stories I usually write. Rather, it will be a collection of one-shot KiritoxAsuna AUs. I will be using my own prompt ideas, basically telling different stories of how Kirito and Asuna get together. This won't have a strict schedule; I'm going to release chapters when I feel like it and when I have free time (whether it be every few days or bi-weekly). If you have AU prompt suggestions, please do leave them in the reviews. These could spread across many genres, settings, time periods, etc. R/R because I have no idea how this will go. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prompt 1:** What if Kirito and Asuna were childhood best friends?

* * *

 **~All Along~**

 _Rrrrrinng!_

The bell that signified the end of 4th period blasted throughout the school. Smiling quietly, Asuna stood up with the rest of her classmates. She bowed to their teacher and proceeded to exit into the hallway.

As she merged into the one-way current of students heading outside, she was abruptly stopped by a small group of friends.

"Sup, Asuna!" Her good friend Rika Shinozaki waved with a large grin. Beside her was Shino Asada, who gave a shy nod. "Wanna sit together for lunch?" She asked eagerly.

Asuna thought to herself for a moment, then shook her head slowly. "No thanks, guys. Kazuto said he found another cool spot outside to eat, and he wants to show me." She rubbed the back of her head, letting out an apologetic laugh.

"Bleh... why don't you two just start dating already?" Rika teased with a smirk. Asuna waved her hands in a fluster, a light shade of red spreading across her cheeks.

"C-Come on, I told you it's not like that! We've just been really good friends for a long time, that's all!" She blurted out, recalling the countless times Rika had teased them about this.

"Yeah yeah, sure... I'd better be one of the bridesmaids." Rika snickered with Shino as they watched Asuna roll her eyes. Although, she could see where their jokes were coming from.

For what seemed like their whole lives, Kazuto and Asuna had been close friends. Ever since the scrawny, raven-haired boy moved in next door when he was 6 years old, they'd always had each other's backs. Asuna couldn't count the amount of times she'd climbed through his bedroom window to talk after a heated argument with her parents. Whether it was someone to vent to or a friend to laugh with, Kazuto was always there no matter what.

And in return, Asuna would make her best efforts to talk with Kazuto at school. She knew that he wasn't a 'popular' guy in the crowd, and he would often be left alone in group projects or gym class. Hence, she tried her best to see him whenever their schedules aligned, but it was difficult with her being in the grade above.

So really, lunch was the only time she could see him on a daily basis. Even if it was only for 20 minutes, sometimes they'd leave in a better mood than they'd experienced all day. Especially Kazuto, when Asuna would make her special sandwiches that he adored oh so much.

Asuna exited the building and felt a rush of cool air brush against her face. She folded her arms, shivering slightly, and pulled out her phone to see where Kazuto had wanted to meet.

 _'Hey Asuna. I found another cool place around the back of the building, near the soccer field. Wanna eat lunch together there? :P'_

A smile spread across her face, and she sent a quick response before making her way towards him.

 _'Sure, I'll be there soon! :)'_

Along the way, Asuna admired the leaves swaying in the brisk atmosphere, kicking pebbles in front of her and greeting friends as they passed by.

 _Jeez, this place sure is far from everyone else._ She thought to herself, watching dozens of friends make their way towards the tables in front of the school. She shrugged and turned the corner to search for her best friend.

After a few minutes of looking, she was finally able to spot his pitch black hair behind a cluster of vibrant trees. She walked over merrily and made her way through a clearing in the bushes.

"Hey Kazuto!" She piped up, catching his attention. He waved back quietly, smiling back.

"Hey, Asuna." He sat back down on a fluffy patch of grass, gesturing for her to sit next to him. She complied eagerly, adjusting her skirt uniform to sit down. She stared across the empty soccer fields, inspecting the different aspects of nature around them. "So, what's so special about this place?"

"Well, it's not the dirty soccer fields everywhere." He leaned back on his hands and lifted one arm, pointing straight ahead of them. "See those buildings over there?"

Asuna followed the line of his finger and saw a few large city buildings in the distance, one standing out as the tallest in the area. "Yeah, what about it?" She asked curiously.

"That's the building for a company called Argus. I heard they're the leading developers for virtual reality games right now."

"So that's why you like this view? Jeez, you're such a nerd." She elbowed his shoulder playfully, earning a barrage of ticklish fingers.

"I may be a nerd, but at least I'm not ticklish!" His fingers scurried up and down her sides, throwing her into a fit of laughter.

"Okay okay, I take it back! I take it back!" He smirked and stopped his assault, allowing her to catch her breath and lay back on the grass.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She turned around towards her backpack and pulled out a brown bag. She opened it, revealing the fresh, homemade sandwiches to him. The childish look on his face made her wonder if he really was 16 already.

Once Kazuto had finished his last delicious sandwich, he let a long sigh and stretched his arms over his head. "Seriously, you should become one of the cooks for our lunchroom. Wait, no... then you wouldn't have as much time to make food for me." He teased, wearing a goofy grin. He stood up feeling satisfied, and offered his hand to Asuna. She accepted cheerfully, using it to pull herself up off the ground.

"Dummy." She flicked his forehead playfully, and they walked their separate ways to class.

* * *

Once the train had finally reached their stop, Kazuto and Asuna carefully stepped onto the platform underneath them. Enjoying the autumn breeze, they talked non-stop about whatever topics arose. Whether it was Asuna ranting about her absurd amounts of homework or Kazuto getting excited about a new bakery in town, there was always something to talk about.

But alas, their congenial conversing always came to an end at about 5:15 in the evening.

"Typical Rika." Kazuto rubbed the back of his neck, a smile creeping upon his lips.

"I know, right? She teases me about it almost everyday. I mean, I know we're close and all, but do people really think we're...?" Asuna stammered, a light shade of red spreading across her cheeks once again. Shaking off the thought, she stuck a hand in her bag and fumbled for her house key.

"Just ignore them. Even if they do think we're dating... what's the harm?" Kazuto removed his backpack to find his key as well, hiding his slight grin by turning the other way.

Asuna placed a hand under her chin and thought about it for a moment. There really was no harm in that. Sure, they would get the occasional teasing, but it's not like they hadn't experienced that already. Unlike the guys she'd hung out with in the past, Asuna never felt ashamed to call Kazuto her best friend. Yes, he had his dorky moments now and then, but she wholeheartedly believed that he was, without a doubt, a good person.

"Anyways," Asuna jumped back into reality once she heard Kazuto's voice again. "I'm gonna hit the hay for a while. Try not to let your friends bother you so much, alright?" He smirked, playfully patting the top of her head. She let out a tired sigh, twisting the key in its slot and pushing the door open. Kazuto did the same, both of them vanishing from each other's sight.

Once she was inside, Asuna removed her shoes and neatly placed them on a rack at the door. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling, closing the door behind her. Soon, she heard her mother's quiet yet snappy footsteps draw nearer.

"Have you picked an outfit for tonight yet?" Kyouko asked abruptly, causing Asuna to let out a groan of irritation.

"Hello to you, too." She rolled her eyes, sensing an ice cold glare from her mother.

"Answer the question. You need to look your best for when he arrives, and I need to assess whatever you wear to make sure it's appropriate."

"Why don't you just choose it, then? Add it to the list of things you decide for me, even when you say that I have a choice." Asuna frowned, shooting a glare right back. Growing furious, Kyouko marched up to her daughter and stuck out an arm, pointing to the staircase.

"Up to your room, now!" She scolded with unflagging anger. Asuna flinched back slightly, feeling her eyes begin to heat up with tears. She quickly looked at the floor to hide her face, slowly walking away from her mother and up the winding spiral staircase.

She slammed her door shut and locked it, clenching her fists in frustration. Her back slowly slid down the polished wood until she was sitting on the floor of her bedroom. For a while, the chestnut-haired girl sat there, choking back the tears that threatened to fall from her amber eyes. Minutes turned to hours, but there was no sign of her lonesome feelings disappearing. Before she knew it, an orange light was already pouring in through her windows, until the room went dark.

 _How did this day turn around in a matter of minutes?_ She thought to herself, forgetting how simple it was to smile just by hearing her best friend's voice.

"Kazuto..." She sniffled, finally pushing herself off the floor with her hands. She quietly crossed the room and pushed open the sliding glass door, a cool breeze pushing her hair behind her shoulders.

Cautiously, she hopped onto the sturdy wooden railing and spanned the small gap between her balcony and Kazuto's window sill. Although his house wasn't all that grand compared to hers, it _did_ have two stories that caused the heights of their bedrooms to align nicely. Once one of her legs was steadily placed on his ledge, she quickly moved her other leg and planted it on the solid floor beneath her.

Meanwhile, Kazuto was fast asleep. Just like his birth mother and father, it took a lot of disruption to stir him awake. Except for a peculiar sound that, no matter how strong, always seemed to grab his conscious.

 _Knock knock._

His eyes opened slowly, squinting from the lack of light. Tilting his head to the right, he glanced at his alarm clock.

 _Just past eight._ He told himself, languidly sitting up in his bed and pulling off the covers. Once he turned his head more to see the distraught girl at his window, his brain woke up immediately. He jumped out of bed and hastily unlocked his window, pushing it upwards with ease.

"Asuna?" He choked out, panicking slightly. "Wh-What's wrong?"

Without a word, Asuna climbed into his bedroom and wrapped her arms around his torso, hiding the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks.

Kazuto had always known about her relationship with her parents, especially her mother. Ever since they were little, he'd occasionally hear Kyouko lecturing to her daughter in her bedroom, with zero back talk from Asuna. He'd always been concerned during the day that followed, not hearing a word from her at school or on the way home. Sometimes he wanted to scream at her mother for making her feel so powerless, but he knew that would only stir up even more trouble.

But Kazuto figured that eventually it would become too much for her. No human being could bottle up their feelings forever... especially not the innocent, caring girl in front of him.

He gently returned the embrace, pulling her slender frame into his chest and acknowledging her overwhelming emotions.

"Is it your mom?" He whispered, pushing away slightly to meet her eyes. She nodded, blinking away the moisture in her eyes to see his sympathetic gaze. Kazuto used the black sleeve of his pajamas to soak up the stray drops on her cheeks. He outstretched his other hand to find hers, gesturing for her to sit on the bed beside him.

"It's not fair..." She mumbled, waves of emotions flooding her mind. "She just doesn't care about what _I_ want. Only what will make our family richer." Kazuto listened to every word, hearing the pain behind each and every one.

"I don't want to live like this anymore." Her shoulders began to shake as she clenched her fists until they turned white. "I can't... I ca-"

Kazuto quickly closed her lips by covering them with his own.

Asuna's eyes widened at the sudden gesture, shocked by his sudden actions. But as Kazuto remained there, her eyes closed on their own, and she felt herself melt into his kiss. He raised one hand to cup her cheek and used the other arm to pull her body closer, fitting together like two puzzle pieces. Their lips pressed together in kisses upon kisses, allowing their true feelings to run free like uncaged animals. After a few moments, they pulled away, catching their breaths and lingering centimeters away from each other's faces.

"Don't... don't say that." Kazuto whispered, moving to nuzzle the silky skin of her cheek with his nose. He gently moved his hands up and down her arm and over her back, soothing her trembling body.

Both of them knew the chaos that would ensue from that night. They knew how much trouble it would stir between Kazuto and Kyouko especially. But they also knew the feelings they had for each other were far stronger than those fearful thoughts, and whatever problems would ensue, they could deal with it in the morning.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Please R/R and let me know what you think. -Harv**


	2. Tipsy Nights

**A/N: Welcome back and thanks for stopping by. This story will be set in SAO as they are working to clear floor 61 (around the time after Episode 6 in the anime). Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prompt 2:** What if Kirito and Asuna hooked up at the bar?

* * *

 **~Tipsy Nights~**

Kirito's eyes opened slowly, startled by the steady pounding in his head.

He shook it off, closing his eyes again, only to feel it return with even more vengeance.

 _Thump. Thump._

It had been a long time since he'd felt a headache like this. Could you even get headaches in this game? He thought to himself, lifting his right hand to feel the pulsing in his forehead. However, his efforts failed abruptly, feeling an oddly familiar weight pinning down his arm from the shoulder down.

He opened his eyes once again, this time somewhat more alert. He straightened his neck up and glanced down the wide, queen-sized bed.

"...!?"

Kirito's heart leaped, realizing the snug weight pulling him down was none other than 'Lightning Flash' Asuna. Now fully awake, his eyes darted around the room, seeing nothing that resembled the rundown inn he'd been living in for months.

What alarmed him even more was the surfeit of bare, velvety skin that lightly brushed against his torso, rising and falling with each breath.

Feeling a scarlet blush form along his cheeks, he gazed at the slender vice-commander sleeping in his arms, her right hand gently placed on his sternum. Even with the panicked thoughts running through his mind, her innocent face seemed to ease his nerves and the harsh throbbing in his head. He pulled the covers over her shoulders, hearing a sleepy, content sigh from the chestnut-haired girl.

Resting his head back down on the fluffy pillow, Kirito recollected his thoughts, attempting to piece together just what had happened the night before.

* * *

"No, Klein, I'm not going to the bar."

The raven-haired solo player rested his back against one of the large, sturdy trees in the vast forest behind them. He unequipped his burdening sword and worn out gloves, retiring them from battle for the night.

"Come on man, it's not like it'll kill you. Yeah, you'll probably feel sick tomorrow... but you gotta live in the present, right?" Klein persuaded nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No way, I don't feel like being hit on by some random drunk dude again." Kirito folded his arms and sighed, recalling the first time the red-headed guild leader had brought him to the bar.

"I told you, it's not usually like that! I just think you should have some fun with the guys every now and then, all you do nowadays is hang out with girls." He teased in a suggestive tone.

After a few moments of awkward silence, the older man gave up his efforts. "Alright, alright. You don't have to go with me now, but I'm still sending you the directions to the pub." Kirito rolled his eyes, hearing a quiet _ding_ from his player menu shortly afterwards. "See ya later!" Klein pulled a rectangular, blue teleport crystal out of his inventory, speaking the name of a town on floor 56 and vanishing from Kirito's sight with a flash of blue.

Kirito moved his eyes to the top right of the screen, reading '9:57 PM.' Sighing from exhaustion, he turned back towards the forest and glanced down the staircase in the ground.

Not too long ago, he and Klein had participated in a floor 61 dungeon raid, but what they hadn't expected was a swarm of monsters 15 levels above them. Luckily, there were no casualties, but everyone exited the dungeon feeling wiped out and drained. Even Kirito, who was known to hold his own quite well in tough situations like that.

As he was about to head back to the inn he was staying at not too far away, Kirito heard a familiar sound from his menu once again. It was the message from Klein that he'd forgotten to open, meaning it still wasn't marked as read to the system. Before he could swipe it away and head home, he glanced at the location info for a few seconds.

 _Wow, it's within walking distance from here._ He thought to himself, gazing in the direction the bar was according to the map. Through a thick blanket of trees, he saw a bright yellow street lamp glowing in a clearing.

Hesitantly, Kirito followed the forest trail towards the small building. _I'll just check it out, then head home._ He reminded himself, muddling his way through stray roots and stumps sticking out of the dirt path.

Upon arrival, he inspected the building from several feet away. It appeared to be even smaller than it looked from behind the trees, resembling a pub one could find on floor 10. Still, Kirito was curious as to what Klein found so fascinating about the whole scene. With little resistance, he pushed open the shabby, wooden door and closed it behind himself.

It was a cozy, yet rowdy little environment, almost like a community. To the right, he saw Klein sitting on a seemingly unstable barstool with his back facing the door. Around him was a small crowd of other men, who Kirito presumed to be the rest of the Fuurinkazan guild. Sitting in the booths lining the walls were little groups of players, each conversing, laughing, and drinking from wooden mugs. But something in the back of the room seemed to catch Kirito's eye the most.

At the very back corner of the room, he saw a lone figure sitting at a table for two. As he approached closer, the unquestionably familiar shade of red on their cloak made him smirk.

 _What's she doing in a place like this?_ He asked himself, not seeing any other females in the room. There was an abundance of the opposite, however.

Kirito walked towards the girl's inconspicuous table, still unnoticed by Klein, and stood beside her.

"Hey, Asuna. Mind if I sit here?" He asked, catching the quiet fencer's attention. After a short moment of surprise, she nodded her head and gave a small noise of affirmation.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered, hoping not to attract the attention of the other male players in the room.

"That's my line." Kirito grinned, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

"Look... I don't come here often, I just needed something to help me unwind." She swirled the small mug of ale in her hands with a sigh. "It's not like I _enjoy_ being around these guys, you know. This was the smallest bar I could find on this floor."

While it sounded a bit silly to him, he could fully understand where she was coming from.

Of course, the developers of this game would be completely screwed over by the law if they'd created it so alcohol had the same effect in the virtual world as the real one. But Kirito recalled reading in an interview one time, that Argus and the Tokyo government had found a medium that satisfied both sides.

If the player was of age 16 or above, they had the ability to alter the effects of alcohol via their system menu. Upon toggling a certain option, the player would be able to become 'drunk,' vaguely simulating the effects of drinking too much in the real world. Of course, there were still consequences to this, and said player would experience a 'hangover' the next morning. Argus had vowed to not insert any forms of physical pain into the game, so they replaced it with an appropriate sensation of numbness and discomfort.

Although the legal drinking age in Japan was 20 years old, the government of Tokyo was okay with a virtual drinking age of 16, assuming a "what happens in the game, stays in the game," type of attitude. What they hadn't realized at the time, however, was that Sword Art Online would become a death game upon its official release.

So now, there were some police-like guilds in the game, apprehending any players who harm or harass others while drunk and sending them straight to the Black-Iron Palace prison. But there was in fact, a reason why players here still drank without a care in the world.

The state of being 'drunk' in this game felt like a massage to the mind. It made the player feel oblivious to any negativity around them, replaced by senses of euphoria. Kirito had experienced this the first time Klein brought him to a bar, where even just a couple of glasses made him feel on top of the world.

"Hey, you still haven't answered my question." Asuna's sharp, feminine voice emitted from underneath her crimson hood, catching the attention of the drifting solo-player.

"Erm... I needed a place to unwind, too. Klein sent me the location to this place just a little while ago."

She let out a warm giggle from underneath her cloak, then proceeded to hold her drink out towards Kirito. "I guess even you need a break sometimes."

"Th-That's alright, I'll buy my own." He lightly waved his hands in front of him, surprised by her kind gesture.

"Come on, take it already. I never got to repay you for watching over me while I napped the other day." A light blush formed on her cheeks, and Kirito felt obliged to accept her offer.

"Fine, then I'll buy _you_ a drink too."

Asuna rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing there was no point in arguing with him. Automatically transferring the drink from her inventory to his own, he tilted the mug up and felt a wave of cool, refreshing ale stream into his mouth. Afterwards, he set the mug down on the table and purchased two more of the same beverages, pushing one towards the fencer before him.

"I could go for another." Asuna smirked, gratefully accepting the drink.

As the night progressed, he found that the more tipsy he became, the looser his mind was. Slowly, their filters disintegrated, allowing them to discuss whatever topics flew their way. From boss raids to their favorite books, the invisible wall of tension between them broke down. Of course, with the flowing conversations came the slightly distorted vision and speech patterns, intensifying after each drink they downed.

What seemed like hours later, Kirito and Asuna stumbled out of the building, using one hand to lean on each other for support. Their stomachs felt sore from laughing, and their cheeks numb from smiling excessively. Both of them could agree that it was one of the most enjoyable times they'd experienced during their time stuck in the virtual death game.

Knowing they wouldn't be able to walk home without physical support from each other, Asuna piped up in a surly voice.

"Wanna... *hic* stay at my place tonight~?" She mumbled out, earning a similarly woozy noise of affirmation from Kirito.

* * *

Once they were inside, Asuna closed the door behind them, still feeling half-drunk but slowly sobering up. As she turned around to face Kirito, he swooped in and captured her lips with his mouth, something he'd been waiting to do all evening. Half-expecting this, Asuna closed her eyes after the initial shock, immediately raising her arms to wrap them around his neck.

After their lips parted for breath, she lightly tugged on his shirt, allowing Kirito to carry out the other thing he'd been waiting for all night.

* * *

 _Ah..._ The black-haired boy recalled, waves of memories from the night before finally flooding back to his mind. He gazed down at the slender girl sleeping in his arms, gently caressing the smooth, bare skin of her shoulders. It almost felt like a dream, and he pinched himself on the cheek to make sure it wasn't.

After a few more minutes, Asuna's eyes fluttered open like butterfly wings, soaking in the milky light that flooded her vision.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Kirito teased, earning a soft giggle that warmed his heart.

"Mm... good morning." Asuna replied sleepily, wrapping her right arm around his body. She smiled radiantly, feeling their legs tangled together underneath the blankets.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, knowing that she probably had the same headache he was currently experiencing. She moved to bury her nose into the crook of his neck, resting her cheek on his prominent collarbone. After a short while, they slowly drifted off to sleep again, both of them oblivious to the dulled pain in their heads.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I may not be able to release chapters frequently now that school has started, but I'll try my best to balance this with my other two stories. R/R! -Harv**


	3. Star-Crossed

**A/N: Welcome back! Sorry for putting this off for so long, but I decided to write another chapter for my good friend and fellow writer, Den3424. Anyways, this one-shot will be based on the novel At Our Sudden Moon, basically a Romeo and Juliet type of story but during the Sengoku Era in Japan. I obviously won't be able to re-write the whole story in a one-shot, but I'll be pulling out a scene from my mind instead. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prompt 3:** What if Kirito and Asuna took the places of Romeo and Juliet?

* * *

 **~Star-Crossed~**

He knew this was wrong.

Thin rays of pale blue moonlight escaped through the window, faintly illuminating the room. The air was stale and musty, as if no one had set foot in this room for many months. Kirito moved swiftly across the small chamber and opened the window, unhooking the rusty latch and swinging the doors out. A cooling, gentle breeze ran through his leather tunic, chasing away the beads of sweat that ran down his body. He panted and caught his breath, looking over his shoulder at his lover.

"This will do."

Asuna nodded, scanning the inn room. The walls seemed to be slightly rotted, and with just minimal movement, the floorboards creaked and groaned.

What seemed like just a moment ago, the two had reunited at the stone bridge connecting their clans' territories. Both had waited tediously for midnight, when they snuck out through their windows in secret.

However, when lookouts from both of their families had seen the two royal figures holding each other on the bridge, it seemed as though their secret was just not meant to be. Immediately, alarm bells sounded throughout the town, alerting both of the clans' armies of soldiers and guards. It wasn't long before Kirito and Asuna heard the heavy clattering of chained armor and spears approaching the bridge.

The two lovers climbed over a nearby stone wall and fled as quickly as their legs could manage through the midnight air. When Asuna's legs began to give out after several minutes, Kirito firmly took her hand and pulled her along with him as far as he could manage.

Eventually, the noise of rattling armor and shouting from behind them began to die down. They were now far outside their clan territories, but no where near the edge of the city. Too exhausted to continue running, Kirito pulled her into the closest inn he could find, praying that news about their escapade had not yet reached this part of the city.

Without thinking, he pulled out whatever coins he could muster up in his pockets and placed it on the inn keeper's desk.

"Sir," the short, elderly man stepped back, slightly startled by his panicked movements. "I'm afraid we're all out of suitable rooms for the night. You can try again tomorrow."

"Well, do you have any _unsuitable_ rooms?" He panted, seeking any type of refuge from the searching guards. The inn keeper nodded, accepting only half of what Kirito had placed on the desk. He gestured for them to follow him down a flight of stairs, and into the room they stood in now. He placed a few candles around the room, then returned to his desk upstairs.

It was nothing like how Asuna had pictured their first night together, but considering the circumstances, she nodded her head silently.

 _Yes, this will do._

Asuna laid atop Kirito's chest, snuggling into his shirt for warmth. Kirito held her closely, rubbing his arms up and down her body to drive away the cool breeze. Both of their chests rose and fell with intensity, still recovering from their exciting getaway.

As Kirito stared up at the dusty ceiling wondering what their next move should be, Asuna seemed to read his mind. She looked up at him and sighed.

"So, what now?" She questioned, peering at his face illuminated by the faint candlelight.

Without turning his gaze, Kirito closed his eyes and let out a long exhale.

"We have each other... and we should be safe here for the night. Isn't that enough?" He replied, wrapping his right arm around her shoulder.

"You're right, it is enough... but we can't live like this forever. The news will probably have spread all across the city tomorrow. What if we get caught soon?"

Kirito sighed, slowly shifting his body. He gently rolled so he was on top of her, then pressed their lips together. Slightly surprised, Asuna eventually closed her eyes and felt herself melt into his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the back of his head to pull him closer, while Kirito's hand inched further towards her waist. After a few moments, he pulled away and stared into her amber gaze.

"If we get caught, then we get caught. Nothing is going to stop me from seeing you, not even my parents." He moved his head to rest in the crook of her neck, placing gentle kisses along her jawline and down to her collarbone.

Asuna sighed once again, allowing him to continue his ministrations. They had moved so quickly within the last couple of hours, both mentally and physically, that she had hardly anytime to allow her mind to relax. It just occurred to her that their first kiss was only a few nights ago at the bridge. But even so, Asuna knew that she would never love any of the suitors that her father chose as much as Kirito. She closed her eyes and hugged him closer.

After a few more minutes, Kirito rolled back over onto his back and opened his arms to her. She gratefully accepted, wrapping one arm around his stomach and resting on her side.

"Damn, I didn't think you're parents could hate me any more than they already do." Kirito chuckled. Asuna let out a heartwarming giggle, burying her nose into his collarbone and inhaling his comforting scent.

"Well, I didn't think that I would ever be laying in bed with you in the basement of an inn, but here we are." She smiled to herself.

He knew this was wrong.

But at the same time, it just felt so right.

How would their parents react? Of course they would be fuming and furious, but to what extent? Would they force them to separate? Would they lock them into their rooms to never see the light of day, let alone each other? Would they be disowned? Infinite questions raced through their minds. They knew that there would be severe consequences to their eloping.

But for now, they knew that being able to be together like this was all worth it.

All of a sudden, the two star-crossed lovers heard a gentle knock on the door. Slightly panicked, they separated to stand on either side of the bed, prepared to face whoever it may have been.

"May I come in?" A quiet, hoarse voice called from behind the door, easing their fears. It was only the inn-keeper they had spoken to earlier. Kirito lowered his guard and opened the door, revealing the small, elderly man.

"First of all, let me apologize for being so abrupt and demanding with our entry. Thank you for letting us stay here." Kirito bowed and held out his hand, to which the inn-keeper gratefully accepted.

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I think I know why you two were in such a rush now. Kirito and Asuna of the Seijo and Makeda clans, am I correct?" He smirked with an innocent grin.

Their hearts caught in their throats upon hearing their true identities, worried that the man was here to either turn them in or confront them. Instead, he held up a hand in solace.

"Now now, don't panic. Some guards came through upstairs and asked if I'd seen a black-headed boy and a chestnut-haired girl come through here. They looked dangerous, so I told them that I hadn't seen anything of the sorts. They are long gone by now." The inn-keeper smiled, bringing relief to their faces.

"Thank you, sir. For everything." Asuna stepped up and shook his hand, bowing deeply. He bowed back with a chuckle.

"And thank you! I never thought I would see royalty come through this old place. It's an honor, miss." Asuna cheeks grew red at the mention of royalty, feeling like she should have been the opposite just a few moments ago. "Tomorrow morning, I shall arrange a ride for you two into the other side of the city. You should be safe from the guards there for the next few days. Please let me know if you need anything else, I would be happy to help."

Kirito and Asuna nodded, feeling overwhelmingly lucky for coming across this man and his inn. As the inn-keeper was about to close the door and bid them farewell for the rest of the night, Kirito called out to him and opened the door again.

"Wait! We want to send you a letter when we get to the other side of the city. What is your name?" He questioned.

"Ahh..." The elderly man chuckled, eager to hear more about their adventures.

"You can call me Lawrence."

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! For you uncultured people out there that don't understand the ending, Friar Lawrence was the man who officiated the marriage of Romeo and Juliet in the original play. Thanks for reading, I'm currently working on a new project that is currently under wraps until I know I'll actually be able to develop it. 'Til next time! -Harv**


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